Fred Winkler

Today the talented artist Fred Winkler has stopped by to visit with us. Thank you so much for stopping by Fred.
You can visit his website and purchase his psp tubes at CDO. Fred has been a part of the psp community for over a year so some of our readers may be new to your artwork.
Below are examples of his artwork

1) How did you become a part of the psp tube community?

FW: One of the companies who license my artwork is CDO and through licensing to them I became aware of the amazing creativity of people using my artwork to create SigTags. I started joining forums and holding competitions for SigTags, because I wanted to be involved with it, rather than just stand by and watch.

2) What does your artwork mean to you?
FW: I have always loved art. From an early age I loved fantasy and Myth & Magic, so when I was able to start painting myself I was very excited. In early 2011 I had an issue with my wrist that meant I couldn’t paint anymore. I felt it was the end of my art, but thankfully I found some great software that still enables me to create my art. To me my art is just as important as eating and sleeping, it is a part of who I am.

3) What inspires you in creating your artwork?
FW: To be honest anything can inspire me to create art. I might see a butterfly flapping around and it sparks an idea. Or a beautiful tree or bird, or sometimes even a single word I see somewhere. My inspiration can come from anywhere at any time, but mainly by the things I see in nature.

4) How long have you been selling psp tubes?
FW: Just over a year ago I signed with CILM, and when they closed I was taken on by CDO, and I love it there.

5) How do you create your artwork? Is it by hand or digitally? What tools do you use in doing the artwork?
FW: I start off with a very basic sketch outlining what I want the finished piece to look like. Sometimes I will be inspired to work on the piece straight away, but sometimes it can be left for months until the right time. Although I used to work by hand I now work purely digitally. I have a vast array of tools that I use to create the finished piece, including the Wacom tablet for the more detailed work.

6)Aside from psp tubes, what else do you create with your artwork?
FW: Of course on my website I sell prints and cards, but I am also licensed with other companies, so my art can be found on cake icing, jewellery, fabric blogs, cross stitch charts, mugs, shoes, mousepads, US postage Stamps, Phone and iPad cases, and much more, for a full list you can check out my Merchandise page: http://fredwinkler.co.uk/merchandise.html

7) As you have developed your style and artwork, which artists have influenced you?
FW: Of course with a lot of my work being fantasy the most obvious one was Jessica Galbreth for me, as we also became good friends over time. But other artists include JM Leottie and Linda Biggs who have also become great friends and we talk a lot these days. Other influences are Nene Thomas, Linda Ravenscoft and Amy Brown.

8) Does the psp community help artists become more well known with getting their names and artwork more visible?
FW: I definitely believe that they do. There is a real sense of community spirit with people sharing ideas and snag tags. The sharing aspect was what drew me to the community in the first place and the fact that the people are ethical and support the artist means that everyone wins.

9) What do you enjoy the most about being part of the psp community?
FW: I absolutely love seeing how creative people can be. The standard of competition entries I have received is so high that I get excited to see what people have created and I also love seeing the reaction of people to the winning entry. If I had to sum up what I like about the community most of all, it would be that the people are so creative and everyone has such a positive attitude.

10) What are some of your favourite art pieces which you have done and why?
FW: Because I am the one creating them, each one tends to be my favourite at the time. Because it is a personal creation it is as if each piece contains a piece of me, so I really love them all. The latest piece will always be my favourite.

11) Do you prefer tags with your art tubes animated or non animated? Or are both great to you?
FW: I really enjoy both. The animated tubes are best for me when they are subtle and still have the main focus on the art rather than the animation, otherwise it can become a bit gimmicky.

12) Do you do commissions for taggers? How about ideas for tubes which taggers may have?
FW: Due to time constraints I don’t do commissions, but I do sometimes give exclusive tags as competition prizes. I’m always open to ideas and suggestions.

13) Is there anything which you don't allow to be done with your artwork? For example mirroring, animation, etc.
FW: I have really only two rules, one is that whatever is done is legal. The other is that whatever is done is tasteful and respectful of the original image.

14) Would you like to receive tags which our members may do featuring your artwork? We often love to send the artists tags by our members.
FW: Yes of course I do, I always love seeing what people come up with. For that reason I have created a SigTag gallery on my own website to show off all of your creations: http://fredwinkler.co.uk/tags_and_tubes.html